A Very Big Misunderstanding
by Tetsu Deinonychus
Summary: Due to a series of unusual accidents. Ulrich and Aelita mistakenly think that something is going on between Jeremie and Yumi, and are understandably upset. J x A, Y x U, with just a touch of Y x J. Chapters 4 and 5 now added!
1. Chapter 1: It Happened One Laundry Day

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Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko and I make no profit from this fan work. I'm just a geek, with a tad too much spare time, having a little fun. Like playing with action figures.

**Update:** Hey, I decided to go back and repost this with some improvements, mainly better spacing around the dialogue and some tweaking with punctuation, spelling, etc. It's all for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1: It Happened One Laundry Day.**

One fine day after school, Odd was out for a romantic stroll with his girlfriend Samantha. Samantha had just come over from her usual school to visit Odd and was glad to finally spend some time with him. But, Odd started acting strange (well more-so than usual) when they got to an old bridge.

"So, why did you bring me here, Odd?" asked Samantha slyly figuring the bridge was to be a nice intimate spot to make out.

"I just wanted to read today's graffiti", replied Odd cluelessly.

This was, of course, NOT the response Samantha was hoping for. "Why the hell would some graffiti interest you so much?" asked a very confused Samantha.

"It gives me a glimpse of the future" replied Odd.

Samantha was now much more confused. "What do you mean by that!" she asked.

"I don't know why", explained Odd, "but, for some reason this graffiti's prophetic".

This statement caused Samantha's eyebrow to rise. "Prophetic?" she asked her voice laced with a distinct tone of skepticism.

"Yeah, It's weird", Odd continued, "It's like, the stuff I read in the graffiti on this bridge seems to come true, later on". Odd looked at Samantha and smiled. "You don't believe me, do you?" he realized. Then, he shrugged and said, "Well just let me read what it says today, and then we'll be on our way, Ok?".

Samantha shrugged and agreed, and so the two of them read that day's graffiti prophecy. They were shocked at the big, bold, clear letters and the strange message displayed. The bridge boldly stated "MINOR CHANGES IN ROUTINE WILL FUCK-UP THEIR ENTIRE DAY!"

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The next day, at the Ishiyama household, Yumi had just woken up and was having a little trouble with her wardrobe. She was all out of her trademark black outfits. "_I forgot it was laundry day_" she realized and grabbed the only clean set of clothes left: a white t-shirt and white shorts. "Why do I even have these?" she wondered as she changed into her well-bleached ensemble. Then, she noticed the writing on the shirt, "I Survived The Thunder God's Wrath!" it proudly displayed. This brought back memories of her family's trip to the Wonderworld amusement park. The shirt was an item at the gift shop located conveniently at the exit of Wonderworld's biggest Roller-Coaster, "The Thunder God"! On her way downstairs, she thought to herself "Well, I guess wearing white instead of black for one day isn't going to make a difference". If only she had read, what Odd and Samantha had read.

When she entered the kitchen, her mother asked, "Why are you getting up so early, Yumi? You do know it's the weekend, and you don't have school today, right?".

"I know, Mother", replied Yumi, "but, I'm going to visit my friends today and wanted to get the laundry done first".

"Actually, it's your turn **next** week. It's your Father's turn **this** week." Yumi's mother corrected.

"Yeah yeah, I'll get to it", Yumi's Dad grumbled as he read the paper. He wasn't too thrilled with the idea of being saddled with "laundry duty" on his day off from work.

"I guess I'll just get going then", said Yumi excitedly as she finished her breakfast and headed towards the door.

"Don't be out too late again!" ordered her father as she left. He then continued his current activities of grumbling, reading the paper, and drinking coffee.

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Later that day, at good-old Kadic academy, Ulrich was talking to Jeremie. "So, why do you have a big bottle of prune juice, again?" Ulrich asked.

Jeremie sighed, and then recalled the whole story "It was three weeks ago that my leg muscles started cramping up. They really hurt, and it happened every time I walked for more than a minute", recalled Jeremie.

"Not enough exercise?" quipped the more athletic boy with a smirk.

"Ha ha", replied Jeremie sarcastically, "actually, when I went to the nurse, she told me I was suffering from a lack of potassium. It was all those meals I skipped to work on the antivirus. Well anyway, the best sources of potassium are bananas and plums…".

"So, that's why you were constantly eating bananas last week", realized Ulrich.

"Precisely!" responded Jeremie, "but they ran out of bananas a few days ago and the only thing here made from plums is this damn bottle of prune juice! I haven't been drinking it because I'm already considered enough of a nerd without being seen drinking **prune juice** of all things!".

"It's true", Ulrich nodded, "if there is an official beverage of dorkiness, it's prune juice".

"Well, now it can't be helped", Jeremie sighed, "My leg muscles are starting to jam up on me again, and the only way to fix it is to drink this stuff. I just don't want to be seen with it".

"Don't want to be seen with what?", asked Odd excitedly as he suddenly arrived.

Jeremie showed him the prune juice.

"Oh", said Odd disappointed, "I was hoping it was something cool".

"No", replied Jeremie, "Just some prune juice I have to drink for potassium".

"Well, I was just thinking of something we could all do today, and I just remembered I got the _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ on DVD, and I figured we could all go watch it on my portable DVD player", Odd explained.

"Sounds fine to me, as soon as Yumi gets here" Ulrich responded with a shrug.

"Yeah, I could watch a movie today", agreed Jeremie, "anyway, I think I'll go into the woods to drink this stuff before Yumi arrives and Aelita wakes up".

"I think she's already up", mentioned Odd, "Earlier I knocked on her door to ask if she knew where you were and there was no answer".

Without thinking, Jeremie blurted out, "Well, she's asleep in **my** bed actually", then quickly put his hand on his mouth, and started blushing.

Odd and Ulrich were smirking. "So, what were you and her up to last night?" asked Odd.

"Um, Nothing to concern yourself with" said a very embarrassed Jeremie as he walked into the woods with the accursed juice. His face was turning a deep shade of red.

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As he walked through the woods, Jeremie finally relaxed. "They would have found out sooner or later" Jeremie figured. "They know Aelita and I are in love. I have nothing to be embarrassed about" he thought to himself. Then, remembering why he was there he finally took is first sip of the dreaded prune juice. "Not all that bad, actually", he thought as he took another taste, "I guess getting my potassium from prune juice instead of bananas won't make a difference". But he was wrong, oh if only he had read what Odd and Samantha had read.

Meanwhile, Ulrich and Odd had grown tired of waiting outside and decided to wait in their dorm-room. Just then Aelita showed up. "Do you guys know where Jeremie is?" asked Aelita.

It took every ounce of will-power for Odd not to say "Wasn't he there when you woke up?" and embarrass the poor girl, but instead he just said, "He's enjoying a walk in the woods, he'll be back soon".

"Yeah, we're going to wait for him in our room. You can wait with us if you want" added Ulrich.

"Alright" shrugged Aelita as they decided to wait on their friends indoors.

Back to the woods, Yumi was on her way to Kadic. Since she had a lot of time today, she decided to take the scenic route and go through the woods. That's when she saw Jeremie. "Hey Jeremie!" she called out to him with a wave.

Jeremie waved back, then ran towards her. "Ulrich, Odd and I are going to watch a movie in their room today. We figured you'd want to join" explained Jeremie.

"Sounds good" shrugged Yumi and started walking back with Jeremie.

Unfortunately, that's when Jeremie's legs started to cramp up! "Aaugh!" yelled Jeremie as the pain raced through his legs. The sudden pain caused him to spill the dark purple prune juice on Yumi's nice white t-shirt! This would not be as big a problem if she was wearing one of her usual black outfits, but on white that big purple stain was quite noticeable!

"I'm really sorry", Jeremie said quickly, "My legs just jammed up. Can you go home quick and change?".

"I'm afraid not, all my other clothes are in the wash", said Yumi shaking her head.

Jeremie thought for a second, then said. "Well maybe I have something you can wear" as they headed back to Kadic.

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Back in Jeremie's room, the two friends were looking all through Jeremie's things for something Yumi can borrow. Along the way Yumi noticed a pink bra under his bed. "What's that?" she asked.

Jeremie's face turned red once again. "Um, that's Aelita's" replied a very embarrassed Jeremie.

"Sounds like you two have been having some fun", teased Yumi as she winked. She was quite amused at the idea of "Shy, Mild-Mannered" Jeremie and "Sweet, Innocent" Aelita being naughty behind closed doors.

"I'm not comfortable talking about this. Can we just focus on what we came here for?", pleaded Jeremie. His face was as red as a maraschino cherry.

Feeling a little sorry for her friend, Yumi calmly said, "Sorry, I guess it isn't any of my business. I'm just very happy for you and Aelita. I have been since she was materialized. I'm just glad that you two have each other". As Yumi said that, a single tear escaped her eye. She realized that she was also a little **jealous** of Jeremie and Aelita being together, while she and Ulrich were stuck in a limbo between friends and lovers.

Sensing this, Jeremie put on most reassuring voice. "Don't worry, Yumi. I know Ulrich will come around soon. He just needs to learn to stop playing 'Mr. Tough Guy' and be more open with his feelings. I know he really cares about you", explained Jeremie.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that", responded Yumi.

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At the same time, in Odd and Ulrich's room, their friends were getting a tad impatient. Ulrich was really missing Yumi. She was supposed to be there by now, and he really didn't like to go a whole day without seeing her. Aelita was really missing Jeremie. She was hoping to snuggle-up with him during the movie. She had no idea what kind of film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was but it had the word "horror" in the title and she was worried it would be scary. Having Jeremie there to hold her, would really make her feel better about watching this movie. Odd was also anxious about the rest of his friends getting here, mainly because he wanted to start the damn movie! He was hoping when Yumi and Jeremie showed up he could explain the concept of "Audience Participation" so they could watch Rocky Horror right. He even thought about digging up the various costumes he'd worn to many theatrical showings of the classic cult film, but who would dress-up as whom. "_Jeremie and Aelita would __**have**__ to be Brad and Janet!_", Odd thought to himself, "That's _a perfect match right there. And, I'm not sharing the Dr. Frank N. Furter costume with __**anyone**__ so I'll wear that one. Oooh, this is gonna be __**so much fun!**_".

As Odd was planning out the festivities (including singing along to _Sweet Transvestite_), Aelita and Ulrich decided they had been away from their respective sweethearts long enough. "I guess I'll go find them" said Ulrich getting up.

"I think I'll go too" added Aelita.

Once the two left, Odd said to himself "Well I guess I'll just get in costume...".

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Meanwhile, in Jeremie's room, Jeremie finally found something for Yumi to wear. "Eureka!" he exclaimed as he drew a loose-fitting t-shirt from behind the dresser. "Here, you can wear this" he said with a smile.

"Thanks" replied Yumi as she took the shirt from him.

"I guess I'll just wait outside while you change. But, then I need to get back in here to put a few things away before we meet up with the others" explained Jeremie.

Yumi thought about what a pain in the ass it is to leave a room just to run back in a minute later and said, "Don't be silly. Just turn your back while I change, then I'll help you put your things away so we can finally meet up with the others".

Jeremie shrugged, then turned around, and stared at the wall while his friend changed shirts. Unfortunately, just after Yumi took off her prune juice stained white t-shirt, and just before she had a chance to put on the shirt Jeremie had loaned her, Jeremie's leg muscles cramped up again! He fell right onto his bed clutching his legs in pain. Yumi, hearing Jeremie's cry of pain and forgetting she was a tad underdressed at the moment, ran to see if her friend was alright. Unfortunately for her, she tripped on a computer wire and landed right on top of Jeremie!

This looked bad, really bad. But, it was all perfectly innocent. He fell, then she fell. It was just a series of accidents. Unfortunately, before they could get out of their compromising position, the door opened. It was Ulrich and Aelita who had opened it, and they had no idea about the chain of really weird accidents leading up to this. They just saw Yumi, lying topless on top of Jeremie, on Jeremie's bed.

They both assumed the obvious, mistaken though that was, and were quite upset. "Jeremie, How...how could you!", cried Aelita as tears streamed down her face.

"It was an accident...", Jeremie tried to explain.

"What, So you '_accidentally_' started fooling around with Yumi? BULLSHIT!", a very furious Ulrich interrupted. "How could you do this to her?", he asked pointing to a very upset and crying Aelita.

"Ulrich, It's really not what you think..", Yumi started to explain.

"And, How can YOU do this to ME!" he snapped at Yumi, as a single tear flowed down his cheek. The sight of that tear rendered Yumi speechless. As long as she knew him, as long as she **loved** him, she never before saw Ulrich Stern cry.

"Listen! I..." started Jeremie.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!", shouted Ulrich before he took a deep breath and said in a dark nasty voice, "Look! You two can do whatever the fuck you want. I'm leaving.", he then stormed back to his dorm accompanied by a very upset and loudly crying Aelita, who looked back at Jeremie with a very sad look in her eye for a brief moment when she left. A look that simply asked "Why?".

Of course, they hadn't really done anything. But, that didn't stop them from feeling bad. They decided to give Aelita and Ulrich a chance to calm down before going to explain things to them. Although, if they knew what Odd knew, they'd know what was really to blame.

None of this would have happened if Yumi had worn her usual black instead of white.

None of this would have happened if Jeremie had gotten his potassium from bananas, instead of prune juice.

Minor changes in routine did indeed fuck-up their entire day.

...TO BE CONTINUED!

You can review if you want.

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	2. Chapter 2: What The Hell Is Odd Wearing?

Top of Form

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko and I make no profit from this fan work. I'm just a geek, with a tad too much spare time, having a little fun. Like playing with action figures.

**Update:** Hey, I decided to go back and repost this with some improvements, mainly better spacing around the dialogue and some tweaking with punctuation, spelling, etc. It's all for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: What The Hell Is Odd Wearing?**

Just as all the chaos was going on; Sissi had problems of her own. Her two hench-morons Nicholas and Herb had just shown up and were really getting on her nerves!

"C'mon, Sissi you gotta check this out! It's amazing!" Nicholas exclaimed.

Sissi rolled her eyes. "It's not 'amazing'. It's **stupid**! What's so great about a damned paper fortune-teller? This isn't grade school, you know!" everyone's favourite bratty bad-girl complained. "_And, everyone wonders why I get so bitchy sometimes. Look at what I have to put up with_" Sissi thought to herself.

"But, it works!" continued Nicholas still excited about the wondrous paper novelty.

"Most people stop making this crap when they're still in elementary school, and they don't even take it seriously then. Why don't you show that thing to Millie and Tamiya? They might appreciate it" ranted Sissi.

"They already told us to get lost. Look, we didn't make this ourselves. Some really creepy mysterious kid gave it to us" explained Herb.

"A creepy kid?" asked Sissi after raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, **really** creepy! And, he couldn't have been more than like 7 years old. Anyway, he was writing a bunch of weird stuff on the old bridge, and when we showed up he handed us this and told us to keep it. Then he just left" continued Herb.

Sissi sighed. "Ok, if I let you guys read me my fortune with that stupid thing, will you finally leave me the hell alone and go find something to do?" asked Sissi.

"Sure" answered the dopey duo.

"Pick a color" requested Herb.

"Red" answered Sissi.

"R-E-D. Now pick another color" continued Herb.

"Fine, Orange" grumbled Sissi.

"O-R-A-N-G-E. Now pick a number" continued Herb.

"43" sighed Sissi.

"Ok, now here it is" Herb showed Sissi her fortune. She was a little startled. The message was oddly specific and cryptic for a playground novelty.

It said "An acquaintance in strange clothing will bring even stranger news".

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Back in Ulrich and Odd's room, Odd had finally figured it out. "Ok, got the toast. Got the toilet paper. Got the spray bottle, the newspaper, the flashlights and costumes for everybody. I can't wait until everyone gets here. Finally I'll introduce my friends to the wonders of Rocky Horror" Odd gleefully said to himself. He was already in his Dr, Frank N. Furter costume and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of his friends. But, when the door opened, only two very upset friends walked in.

"Hey Odd you're not going to believe what just happened. We...**What the hell are you wearing?!**" said a sad then shocked Ulrich.

Odd stood there in the black lingerie that should be very familiar to any Rocky Horror fans reading this and said "It's a costume. See with this movie there's a fun little ritual called 'audience participation' that a lot of people do and part of it is dressing up like...".

"Save it!" interrupted Ulrich.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood for a movie, and as you can tell neither is Aelita" as he said this Ulrich pointed to a still crying Aelita. Odd hadn't noticed Aelita was crying until Ulrich pointed her out, but that sight definitely killed Odd's good mood.

"Well, what's the matter? Didn't you find them?" asked Odd with genuine concern in his voice.

"Oh we found them alright! We found them in bed together getting ready to fuck!" Ulrich replied.

He was visibly upset. His face red with anger, but his eyes were showing definite tears of sadness. Ulrich's tears hocked and stunned Odd. Once again, nobody before had seen Ulrich Stern cry. Odd was snapped out of his trance by the sound of Aelita's misery.

"How could he? H-how could he?" Aelita repeatedly sobbed.

"Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?" asked Odd.

"Yumi already had her top off. She was crawling all over Jeremie on his bed. What do **you** think was going on?" answered Ulrich.

"Well, maybe it's not really them. Remember the time Xana made that Yumi clone and she tried to seduce Jeremie into taking her to the factory. Xana could be behind this!" suggested Odd.

"No, it was them all right. They even tried to explain themselves" muttered Ulrich.

"Well, I'm going to go get to the bottom of this" announced Odd as he got up and headed out the door.

Three seconds after Odd left, something occurred to Ulrich. "Wait, did he just go out in the halls in that ridiculous costume?" he wondered.

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As he made his way to Jeremie's room, Odd got many comments about his strange attire. Some girls wolf-whistled at him. Some people just laughed or ran away. Two people even started singing "Time Warp". But the weirdest moment was when Jim ran into him.

"What the hell are you wearing Della-Robia?" asked Jim.

Odd sighed; he so dearly wished he had remembered to change out of his costume before leaving the room. "It's a costume. My friends and I were going to watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show and..." Odd started to explain before Jim interrupted him.

"Ok, I wondered what looked so familiar about that. Yeah, when I was in college, my friends and I used to go to the midnight showing of that every weekend. We'd do the whole audience participation thing. I'd usually dress as Riff-Raff" Jim reminisced.

"Wow, you were a Rocky Horror fan, Jim?" Odd asked.

"Um…I'd rather not talk about it" replied Jim as he walked away.

As Odd stood contemplating the conversation that just transpired, a door suddenly opened. "Just what is going on out there?! I'm hearing whistles, and talking, and singing, and ...and what the hell are you wearing, Odd?!" ranted Sissi as she emerged from her room, going from annoyed to confused with record speed.

Odd slapped his forehead. The last thing he wanted to spend all day doing was explain to everyone he sees why he's prancing around in drag.

"Dr. Frank N. Furter costume, right?" asked Sissi with a grin.

"Uh, yeah actually" replied a surprised Odd.

"Yeah, my cousin once took me to a Rocky Horror showing. It was weird but fun. The question is, why are you wearing it in the hallways?" explained Sissi.

"Well, my friends and I were going to watch it in my room, when something weird came up. I left in a hurry and simply forgot what I was wearing" Odd explained.

Sissi giggled. "And, what pray-tell would have you leave in such a hurry?" she asked.

Odd suddenly took on a stern look. "Sissi, can I trust you to keep this a secret?" he asked.

Sissi thought for a second. She loved to gossip, and really loved to torture their whole group. But, if the only way to find out something so obviously juicy was to swear to keep it secret, she would have to keep that promise. "I promise" she nodded.

"Ok, here it goes. Ulrich and Aelita think they caught Jeremie about to have sex with Yumi. They're both really broken up about it. I left to go to Jeremie's room to find out just what is going on" Odd whispered.

Sissi was a tad shocked for just a second but then quickly calmed down. "Jeremie and **Yumi**? c'mon! That's ridiculous! Everyone knows Einstein is crazy about that _weird_ girl and Yumi's still clinging to my Ulrich" Sissi laughed.

"It sounds weird to me too. That's why I'm going to ask Jeremie and Yumi what **really** happened and hopefully clear this up" replied Odd. "Now remember, you can't mention this to **anyone**. My friends would kill me if they knew I told **you**" Odd pleaded.

"Oh relax, like I'd waste my time on **that** nonsense" Sissi said as she turned her head. She tried to look snotty but a small smile escaped revealing her friendlier side.

"See, I knew you could be nice. Maybe, you should be nicer all the time" commented Odd.

Sissi smiled more directly now, a sly quasi-evil grin and said "but that wouldn't be any fun at all".

"And, by the way, expect to hear plenty of remarks about you parading the halls in that costume" she added.

Ever the jokester, Odd simply struck a pose and replied "ah, you're just jealous because you don't have the legs for this outfit" before heading back on his way. Sissi then retired back to her room for the peace and quiet she had been craving all day.

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As that whole conversation was going on, two other conversations were also in progress. These two conversations were **very** similar, almost identical, despite occurring in two separate rooms.

"Are you Ok?" Ulrich asked Aelita.

"I just can't believe he'd cheat on me!" Aelita moaned.

"We know what we saw. It's pretty clear" Ulrich grumbled.

"I just don't know what to do without him! He's everything to me!" Aelita said as she burst back into tears.

"It's like without him I'd have no purpose, and no friends, no anything. He's who freed me from Lyoko. He's who teaches me how to survive in the world. It's because of him that you were even able to enter the system and help me fight Xana" Aelita explained to Ulrich. "But, it's more than that. I need him because I love him. I'm just not quite happy unless He's around; I want to be with him as much as possible. And, I want to devote myself to making him happy too" finished Aelita as a tear went down her cheek.

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"Are you Ok?" Yumi asked Jeremie.

"I just can't believe she thinks I'd cheat on her" Jeremie mumbled.

"We know what that looked like. It's pretty clear what they think they saw" Yumi reminded.

"I just hope we can clear this up, because I don't know what to do without her! She's everything to me!" Jeremie said meekly as a tear streamed down his cheek. "It's like without her I'd have no purpose, and no friends, no anything. Protecting her from Xana and freeing her from Lyoko has been my whole reason for existing. And, the only reason I have all of you as friends is because we banded together to help Aelita stop Xana" Jeremie explained to Yumi. "But, it's more than that. I need her because I love her. I'm just not quite happy unless she's around; I want to be with her as much as possible. And, I want to devote myself to making her happy too" finished Jeremie as a tear went down his cheek.

_"I'd be lost without her"_ thought Jeremie.

"_I'm so lost without him"_ thought Aelita.

"You really do love her" said Yumi. "Well, with me and Ulrich, it's not so much that we need each other, but that we don't" she continued.

"I don't understand" replied a confused Jeremie.

"I've always loved his independence" Yumi explained. "As long as I've known him, I've always admired how strong a person he is. He's just the kind of guy who can get through any crisis. The kind of person I try to be" Yumi finished. "Still, I wish he could be more open about his feelings so we can get our relationship out of 'limbo'" she added.

"Is that why you flirt with William?" inquired a curious Jeremie.

"I guess so. I mean, William is basically like a more relaxed and more emotionally open version of Ulrich. He does kind of represent something I've longed for" Yumi admitted.

Jeremie raised an eyebrow. It was unusual for Yumi to admit she had any attraction to William, or to be so open about this kind of thing at all. She was really almost as bad as Ulrich in this way.

"But, I know it's Ulrich I really love. I just wish he'd be more expressive like how William is. I guess we have some problems" Yumi finished as she lowered her head in sadness.

"Well, I think we all have one very big problem now" Jeremie mumbled.

"Uh-huh" agreed Yumi. "I just hope they believe us when we explain it to them. I don't know what to do without Ulrich's strength" she added.

"Well, you know, you're a very strong person yourself Yumi. I know I can rely on **you** in a crisis" explained Jeremie.

"But, it's mainly because I'm inspired by **his** strength and independence. Seeing him stand tall, even when things are rough, inspires me to stand tall too" corrected Yumi. "You know, I guess I **do** need him. I guess I'm not really that different from how you are with Aelita, after all" she added.

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"You really did love him" said Ulrich. "Well, with me and Yumi, it wasn't so much that we needed each other, but that we didn't" he continued.

"I don't understand" replied a confused Aelita.

"I've always loved her independence" Ulrich explained. "As long as I've known her, I've always admired how strong a person she is. She's just the kind of girl who can get through any crisis. The kind of person I try to be" Ulrich finished. "Still, I wished I could be more open about my feelings so we could finally be more then friends" he added.

"Is that why you dislike William?" inquired a curious Aelita.

"I guess so. I mean, William reminds me of myself but he's so much more relaxed and emotionally expressive. I just feel kinda threatened by his being around" Ulrich admitted.

Aelita raised an eyebrow. It was unusual for Ulrich to admit he had any fear of William, or to be so open about this kind of thing at all.

"But, I hoped she really loved me" Ulrich finished as he lowered his head in sadness.

"I just can't believe what we saw her and Jeremie doing together" Aelita sobbed.

"I know" agreed Ulrich. "**This really sucks!** And, I don't know what to do without Yumi's strength" he added.

"Well, you know, you're a very strong person too Ulrich. I know I can rely on **you** in a crisis" explained Aelita.

"But, it's mainly because I was inspired by **her** strength and independence. Seeing her stand tall, even when things are rough, inspired me to stand tall too" corrected Ulrich. "You know, I guess I **did** need her. I guess I'm not really that different from how you are with Jeremie, after all" he added. "Guess, we'll each just have to learn to stand alone" Ulrich decided.

Aelita nodded in agreement. The look of confidence lasted only a moment before breaking, and they both started crying again.

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After all that had been said, Odd finally made it to Jeremie's room. He knocked on the door cautiously. He really didn't know what to expect.

"I guess that's them" Jeremie said, somewhat fearfully.

"Maybe, they've decided to let us explain what happened" suggested Yumi.

"I sure hope so" replied Jeremie.

As he opened the door he said "Listen, I'm sorry, but what you saw was not what you think. What happened was...What the...".

"…hell am I wearing?" Odd interrupted finishing Jeremie's obvious question for him.

Jeremie nodded.

Odd sighed. "It has to do with the movie we were going to watch, but never mind that. Ulrich and Aelita are freaking out and saying they caught you fooling around with Yumi. I came to find out what was going on. And, **please** let me in. I'm standing in the hallway in fishnets here" Odd frantically explained.

"Oh sorry Odd" Jeremie said as he realized he was standing in the doorway, and moved out of the way.

As Odd entered the room, he noticed Yumi sitting on Jeremie's bed wearing one of his shirts. "Here" Jeremie offered as he handed Odd a long coat that he discovered while finding the shirt he lent Yumi.

"Oh, thanks so much" Odd said as he gratefully put the coat on over his rather revealing costume. Finally, he asked "Ok, so what happened? They said Yumi was half naked and crawling all over you" Odd inquired.

Yumi and Jeremie blushed.

"Well, technically that part's true, but it wasn't anything sexual. It was an accident" Jeremie explained.

"Actually, a whole bunch of accidents leading up to that" Yumi clarified.

Odd just looked confused.

"Basically, I fell on Jeremie half way through changing my shirt, and Ulrich and Aelita came in before I could get off of him" she elaborated.

"Seems a little far fetched" commented Odd.

Jeremie started crying "You have to believe me! I would never make love to anyone but Aelita. I'm just not that kind of person. It hurts me that anyone thinks I am". Then, he took a deep breath to calm down.

Odd seeing the sincerity in Jeremie's eyes smiled and said "Ok, I believe you. But, did you explain it to Ulrich and Aelita?" Odd asked.

"We tried, we really tried. But, they were just to upset to listen" explained Yumi.

"We figured we'd wait a few hours for them to calm down" added Jeremie.

"A few **hours**! They're really broken up about this! I don't think they're going to calm down anytime soon" informed Odd.

"Hmm, maybe we should wait until tomorrow" worried Jeremie.

"Yeah, I don't think they're going to listen to us tonight" agreed Yumi.

"That might be the way to go" added Odd.

"So, it's agreed! Tomorrow we'll go to Ulrich and Aelita and explain to them what really happened. Odd, can you help us?" asked Jeremie.

"Sure! So, what can the Great Odd do to help?" replied Odd.

"Just get them to the woods, around noon. We'll be waiting there to talk to them" explained Jeremie.

"You got it! In fact Samantha is visiting again tomorrow. I'm sure she'll help too" responded Odd.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll just be glad to not have Ulrich hate me. Anyway, I have to go home now. Remember, Odd, The woods tomorrow at around noon" said Yumi as she left the room.

"I have to leave too. Ulrich and Aelita probably wonder what happened to me. You sure you'll be alright, Einstein?" asked Odd.

"I guess so. Seeing Aelita cry is kinda painful for me, and it's even worse when I can't go and comfort her. I can't wait to just sort this out tomorrow" answered Jeremie.

Odd nodded hopefully, then left

---------------------------------------------------

The journey back was a lot easier and a lot faster, since his Frank N Furter costume was now concealed. When he opened the door to Ulrich's room he saw his friend, normally "Mr. Tough-Guy" staring sadly out the window. He looked pale, sickly pale. His eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying. He had a look on his face that reminded Odd of low-budget zombie films. This was a broken man.

"Um...Ulrich uh where's Aelita?" asked Odd.

"She went back to her own room. She needed some time alone, so did I" answered a very depressed Ulrich.

"Are you alright?" Odd asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"I think I just need more time alone. Do you think...you could find somewhere else to sleep tonight?" was Ulrich's response.

"Um sure, Ok" answered Odd as he went to change back into normal clothes, threw another outfit in a bag and went to the door. "Um see you tomorrow buddy. I guess I'll just leave you alone now...bye" Odd said cautiously as he exited the room.

-----------------------------------------

Once he left, Odd tried to think of where he could spend the night. "If I stay with Jeremie, Ulrich might see that as 'taking his side', so that's out. And, It's too cold to camp outside or stay at the factory, so that's out" he thought to himself. "I guess there's only one option" he decided. He pulled out his cell-phone, and made a call.

"Hi Samantha, It's me, Odd" he said once his girlfriend answered the phone.

"Yeah, I know it's you Odd. As, I said before I have caller ID. Anyway, looking forward to visiting tomorrow" she responded.

"Me too, but I was kinda wondering, you see" Odd nervously tried to phrase.

"Spit it out, Odd" Samantha commanded.

"Ok, something weird happened between all my friends and Ulrich's feeling sad and needs the room to himself. And, I can't stay with Jeremie either…" Odd started to explain.

"Fine. You can stay here, tonight" Samantha interrupted.

"Wow, thanks! But, won't your parents mind if your 'boyfriend' stays the night?" responded Odd.

"Well, I will have to ask them, but they're fairly open about this kind of thing. And, they absolutely love you" answered Samantha.

"Well, that's 'cause I'm just so gosh-darn loveable" Odd joked.

Samantha laughed. "Actually, it's because they think you're a good influence on me. Since we've been together, I've been much better behaved and I've stopped stealing, so I guess they're right. Thank you, you've really helped me get things together" said Samantha.

"Aw" said Odd, moved by the sentiment.

"I guess I'll go ask them if you can stay" responded Samantha as she blushed and went to ask her parents.

A minute later, Samantha returned and picked up the phone. "They said 'our couch is welcome to you'. So yeah you can crash in our living room for the night" Samantha explained.

"That's great! I was seriously worried I'd have to sleep in the gym, tonight" replied Odd.

"So, what's up with your friends, anyway? Does it have to do with that factory you're always running off to?" Samantha asked.

Odd sighed. "No, it doesn't. And, I already told you, I can't tell you what we do at the factory. That's a secret between me, Aelita, Jeremie, Ulrich, and Yumi. I'm sorry" Odd then answered.

"I know, but it still bother's me that you all have this secret that you won't let me in on. I mean just what do you guys do there, anyway? Frankly, images of pot-smoking circles and orgies are dancing in my head" Samantha ranted.

Odd giggled at those thoughts. "You know, I can't tell you, but I assure you my friends and I are not smoking pot in the factory or anywhere else. You know, as well as I do, that the only time I've ever been high on pot was at that rave you took me to. And, that was an **accident**, I thought those were **regular** brownies" he explained.

"Yeah, well if you could just control your appetite for 10 seconds you would have heard someone mention that they were **special** brownies. That's why you never eat anything at a rave; you never know what's been put into it. Samantha nagged. "By the way, I still haven't heard you deny my orgy theory" she then insinuated.

Odd giggled. "Well, I wouldn't do that without inviting you to join" Odd said with a laugh.

Samantha rolled her eyes. "I don't know whether to feel reassured or disturbed, after hearing that. Anyway, fine. I don't care about the damned factory. So, what happened with your friends?" asked Samantha.

"It might be better if I explain in person" answered Odd.

"Ok, do you want to come here before or after dinner?" Samantha asked.

"**Could** I have dinner at your house?" asked Odd excitedly.

"If you promise not to eat my parents into the poor-house" replied Samantha.

"I'll be good" Odd said in his best "angel-voice".

Samantha smiled, and giggled a bit and said "Ok, I'll see if my Dad can go pick you up now. Bye". Then she hung up the phone.

Odd smiled, and waited.

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Back in Ulrich's room, poor Ulrich Stern was still depressed and lost in thought. "I just can't believe it", he thought to himself, "everything that means anything to me is gone". He was beyond just being hurt about Yumi. He now was realizing what the whole situation meant to his whole group of friends. "It's finished! We can't go back to the way things were after this. We all used to be close as family, now...now it's all gone!" he said all alone.

He was in pain, plain and simple. In one incident, he lost the girl he loved, his closest friends, and everything good in his life, or so he thought (we know he didn't really). "**Yumi how the fuck can you do this to me! And, Jeremie how can you just stab me in the back like this!**" he shouted as he sprang from his bed, and headed toward the shelf where he kept his things, including several gifts from Yumi. "SONOFABITCH!" Ulrich screamed sadness giving way to rage as he proceeded to destroy various possessions in a desperate attempt to relieve some of his pain. Then rage returning to sadness, he collapsed to the ground and started sobbing.

While walking past Ulrich's room, William heard some of the yelling and crashing and was a bit concerned. Cautiously, he knocked on the door to Ulrich's room.

"Go away, Yumi! I don't want to talk to you!" Ulrich sneered.

William carefully opened the door. "Um it's not Yumi, it's me, William" he explained. As he opened the door he caught a shocking sight: Ulrich, kneeling in a pile of wreckage, crying his eyes out.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you either! I don't want to talk to **anyone!**" Ulrich snapped.

William nervously walked in. He was still very stunned by what he saw. "_What could have possibly left him so broken up_?" he thought to himself. Finally, he put his hand on Ulrich's shoulder and said. "Look buddy, I know we haven't always gotten along, especially when it comes to Yumi, but I can't just leave someone in **this** state. You look like you need to talk" he said as nicely as possible.

"Well, I don't think Yumi will be an issue anymore" Ulrich muttered as he turned around and looked at his unwanted visitor. He didn't see the rival that he usually competed with, he saw genuine compassion and kindness. "I guess I do need to talk" Ulrich said, mentally cursing himself for sending Odd away. "But, you better sit down for this. I have a feeling you're going to be pretty broken-up yourself after hearing this" Ulrich warned.

William sat down and braced himself for the bad news.

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A few seconds later, in Sissi's room, Sissi was quite happy. After the conversation with Odd, she finally got to spend Saturday the way she wanted to, relaxing in her room. Nothing but pure rest and relaxation. She had been reading, listening to music, taking naps, and just enjoying the peace. But, that lovely serenity would soon be disturbed as she hears two noises. The first noise sounded vaguely like William shouting "Holy shit!" coming from the direction of Ulrich's room. The second sounded like someone crying, from across the hall, **Aelita's room!** Not knowing what possessed her to care, and still deciding whether to ask her what's wrong or just bitch her out for being noisy, she headed towards Aelita's room.

Along the way, she thought about what Odd told her, and thought maybe that had something to do with the crying. Then, she spotted the paper fortune-teller Nicholas and Herb left by her door when they went away, and was stunned when she finally added her conversation with Odd to what the folded paper device had told her. An acquaintance in strange clothing had indeed brought even stranger news. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of more crying and went to Aelita's room.

TO BE CONTINUED.

I know that wasn't very good. But, I hope you liked it anyway.

Review if you like, and stay tuned for the next chapter where both the title and the theme will be _"Unlikely Friendships"_.

Top of Form


	3. Chapter 3: Unlikely Friendships

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko and I make no profit from this fan work. I'm just a geek, with a tad too much spare time, having a little fun. Like playing with action figures.

Sorry, if you've been waiting too long for this. I got a new job and some projects I work on, so I kinda have to put this off quite often. **But, wait no longer!!**

**Chapter 3: Unlikely Friendships**

Up in his room, in a house a few minutes away from Kadic academy, a little boy named Kai was playing chess over the computer with his only friend. This boy was not your typical kid, nor did he seem so. Anyone who met him described him the same way: "creepy"! The boy's dark and mystical presence was a reflection of the strange abilities he possessed, and his exceedingly negative attitude towards humanity. In fact, his chess-opponent was not human at all.

"Checkmate!" the word appeared on the screen as Xana declared his victory to Kai.

"You won this one, but don't get cocky! I still won the last three games", Kai responded, "How about another?".

"I'm afraid I have other things to attend to" Xana displayed on the screen.

Kai knew exactly what Xana was referring to. "Yes, about that, I know it's very tempting to attack them now while they're so very vulnerable, but I have a favor to ask you", Kai requested.

"...?" was Xana's only response.

"I'd really like it if you'd leave them alone this time" Kai explained.

"Out of the question!", Xana snapped back, "Do you have any idea what kind of opportunity I now have?! If I strike now, my victory is guaranteed!".

"I know. But, I'd just really like to see how this all plays out on it's own" Kai calmly explained.

"Why?!" Xana asked.

"My life is extremely boring, tedious, and miserable. Playing Chess with you is normally about the only joy I have. I've even resorted to spray painting predictions on an old bridge in a vain attempt to kill the boredom. But today I've found observing all the turmoil in your enemies' lives to be incredibly entertaining, and I'd like to see how it all plays out." Kai elaborated.

"Why should I pass up such a perfect moment to strike just for your idle amusement?!?!" the words emblazed on the screen.

The strange boy simply smiled.

"I'm sorry; I suppose it was just a tad selfish to expect you to leave them alone without getting anything in return. So what if I grant you something I denied you before?" offered Kai.

Xana knew what Kai was referring to: Foreknowledge of the future. Kai had previously refused to reveal anything of the future that would apply to Xana. The prospect was too tempting for Xana to turn down. "I accept" was all Xana could say.

"I figured you'd see it my way" said Kai with a grin.

Neither Xana nor Kai would **ever** admit to needing or having a friend. Both were beings of darkness, disgusted with the very idea of friends. And yet, that's exactly what they were to each other. Still, that is not what Kai was referring to that morning, when he scribbled into his notebook "Today's a good day for unlikely friendships".

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Elsewhere, Jeremie Belpois had been sitting in his room trying desperately to get his mind off the day's events for hours now. He had finally given up trying to read and set the book down on his desk with a sigh. "Aelita, why won't you believe me?" he whispered into the air. Just then, his cell-phone rang. "Um...Hello" he answered reluctantly.

"Hey Jeremie! It's me, Odd. I was just calling to see how you were holding up. You doing OK?" explained Odd.

"Yeah, I'm Ok, I guess. I just need to find a way to relax until tomorrow" replied Jeremie.

"It's Ok. Anyway, I'm in the car on my way to Sam's house. Oh Sam, wanna say 'Hi' to Jeremie?" asked Odd handing his phone to Sam. Odd sat in the backseat, next to Sam, with Kiwi the dog asleep in his lap.

"Hey Einstein! Hang in there, Ok? Oh, and say 'Hi' to Aelita for me, since you two are such lovebirds!" announced Sam before handing the phone back to Odd.

This was not something the already depressed Jeremie needed to hear. "Was that really necessary?" asked Jeremie.

"Yeah, uh...sorry Jer. She doesn't know yet" replied an embarrassed Odd.

"Odd, I swear, if I was drowning, you'd toss me an anchor!" Jeremie commented.

"What happened? Did those two break-up or something?" asked a now confused Sam.

"Well that's part of it. I'll explain when we get there" answered Odd. Sam nodded.

A few minutes later, Odd arrived at Sam's house. As he went inside he saw what was really a very pleasant home. He had never been to Sam's house before, now that he thought about it. He met her parents a few times. And, Kiwi played with Sam's dog whenever the two went to the park together. But, he had never actually visited her house. His eyes took in the living room. A nice big TV and the big comfy couch that was to be his bed for the night awaited him. As Sam joined her parents in the kitchen, Odd took his cell-phone back out, and called Jeremie again.

"Hey Jer. Just checking up on you again, and making sure it's Ok to tell Sam what happened. I figured she can help tomorrow" said Odd.

"Yeah, it's Ok. I'd have said something by now if it wasn't. And, you don't have to keep checking up on me. I can handle a little depression" explained Jeremie.

"Sorry, buddy I'm just worried about … well everybody, actually, but I don't know who else I'd call" admitted Odd.

"It's Ok Odd. Anyway, at least Xana hasn't attacked today. That's about the only thing that'd make this day suck more" mumbled Jeremie.

"Yeah, he's been pretty well-behaved lately. Ever wonder what Xana does when he's not attacking the planet? I'll bet he hangs out with friends just like we do" joked Odd.

"Yeah, right. Like Xana has friends" replied Jeremie, half laughing at the ridiculous idea.

"I figured that one would cheer you up a little", giggled Odd, "anyway Sam's coming back. Why don't you stay on the line so you can help me explain what happened".

"Yeah, Ok. Good Idea" said Jeremie.

Sam sat down, next to Odd, and said "Ok, we're here. So, tell me already. What's up with you and your friends tonight?". And so, while Sam's parents cooked dinner, Odd, with help from Jeremie over the phone, explained everything that had been going on that day.

-------------------------------------------

At the same time that all this went on, Ulrich was pouring his heart out to William about the day's events. William, by that point was almost as upset as Ulrich.

"Jeremie and Yumi! I still can't fucking believe it!" muttered William.

"Yeah, well believe it! I saw it with my own eyes. Yumi had her top off and was all over Jeremie. Who knows how long this has even been going on" explained Ulrich. "YUMI, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!!!" he screamed.

"Easy, easy" said William patting Ulrich on the shoulder. Ulrich calmed down. "Believe me. I'm upset too. My feelings for Yumi were…well… the same as yours, and now…dammit! I don't even know what to say!" consoled William.

"It's Ok, I understand" responded Ulrich. "But, you know, it's funny. All this time, I've been so worried about **you**. I thought if anybody was going threaten my relationship with Yumi, it would be you. Like you were my only competition" Ulrich mused out loud.

"Well, don't think I didn't try" stated William. The two boys then shared a small laugh. The kind of disheartened, depressed, defeated giggle two former rivals share when they realized their rivalry was pointless to begin with.

Ulrich even smiled for a brief instant, but then lowered his head in sadness, once more. William was shocked at just how distraught Ulrich looked. "You have to understand", explained Ulrich, "I'm not just upset that I lost Yumi. I'm upset that I lost **everybody**".

William looked confused, so Ulrich clarified. "Yumi, Odd, Jeremie, Aelita. They're more than just friends to me, they're **family**. Look, I never had a decent life at home. No "loving family", just a controlling bastard father who did nothing but pressure and yell at me. All he did was force me to be what **he** wanted. He would give me so much pressure to be perfect, and he'd berate and punish me when I didn't succeed. And, Mom and everyone else would just look away, or take his side just because they were afraid to question him" Ulrich explained.

"Wow. That's messed up" William interjected.

"Yes, very" agreed Ulrich. "So, when he sent me to this school. I just never learned how to get along with people. So, I ended up spending all my time alone. I didn't know what else to do" Ulrich explained.

"Is that why you're such a crab?" asked William.

Ulrich's eyes narrowed. "Yes, William, that's why" he replied.

"Sorry" apologized William.

Ulrich sighed. "Anyway, I was all alone until I met them: Odd, Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita. They were my first real friends. They became the family I never had. But now…well I mean… I can still hang out with Odd and Aelita. But not everyone together like we used to. It just won't be the same. If I see Jeremie and Yumi, especially together, I…I just wouldn't be able to take it" Ulrich explained.

"I wouldn't either; it was hard enough seeing her with **you** all the time. I can't believe she'd start fooling around with someone in secret like that. Not to mention someone with a girlfriend. Say, how is Aelita taking this, anyway?" asked William.

"Last time I checked, about as well as I am" answered Ulrich.

-----------------------------------

And on that note, let us go back a few minutes to when Sissi was standing outside the door to Aelita's room. Sissi could still hear Aelita sobbing and crying, and was still troubled by what she heard from Odd. "_It can't be true_", she thought to herself, "_She must be crying about something else_".

Sissi put up her emotional defenses (acting like a bitch) and knocked furiously at the door.

"Oh it's you" said a very puffy-eyed Aelita.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, _'OH IT'S ME'_?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH NOISE YOU'RE MAKING?!?!" demanded Sissi.

"I'm sorry. I just…I've been through a lot today" Aelita somberly responded.

"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY YOU…" Sissi started to rant but was stopped dead in her tracks when she caught the look in Aelita's eyes. They had a certain look of hopelessness, a sort of scared, "lost kitten" quality that cut right through Sissi's emotional "Bitch-Armor" and made her suddenly feel very ashamed of herself for yelling so irately at someone in that condition.

"Look, I know we're not exactly 'friends' but If you need someone to talk to right now. I **guess** you can talk to me" offered Sissi through clenched teeth unable to believe her own words.

Aelita was very taken aback by Sissi's offer at first, but then quietly nodded. "OK", she muttered at last, "Well when I woke up in Jeremie's bed this morning…"

Sissi's eye's grew very big as Aelita explained what all had happened to her that day, up to and including the incident that led to her sobbing state, as well as some recent goings on in her and Jeremie's relationship. Sissi simply couldn't believe what she was hearing.

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Meanwhile, in Samantha's living room, Odd, Samantha, and Sam's parents had just finished eating dinner. Samantha was incredibly relieved that Odd had managed to limit himself to two helpings of everything and that his manners were, well, no worse than hers anyway. And, they were all settling down to watch a movie before bed.

"Alright, I love this one!" announced Odd upon seeing the _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_ DVD that Sam produced from the cabinet under the TV.

"I had a feeling", said Sam with a wink, "actually, this is one of **my** favourites too".

And so, Odd and Sam snuggled-up together on the sofa while Sam's parents took the chairs, as they all enjoyed the movie. Odd was very grateful for the chance to get his mind off his friends and their problems, all the while blissfully unaware of the developments taking place while he was away.

------------------------------------------------

Back in Aelita's room, Sissi had just finished listening to what Aelita had to say. She was beyond shocked, not so much at what Jeremie and Yumi allegedly had been doing together, but more so what Aelita herself had been doing with Jeremie.

"But, you're only thirteen! You're **way** too young to be sleeping together" Sissi declared.

"It's not like we were having sex, we just literally **slept together**", Aelita explained, "We were working on something on the computer together late at night and we were too tired to sneak me back to my room so I just stayed there with him. He wanted to sleep on the floor while I took his bed, but I managed to talk him into sharing the bed with me. And it's happened like that a few times since".

Sissi just looked at her, with a puzzled look. Her eyebrow was raised.

"And for the record we were fully clothed, well OK I was in a T-shirt and panties, and I might have left a bra there but still…" further explained Aelita.

"You talked **him** into sleeping with **you?**" Sissi finally asked. It certainly didn't fit the stereotype image of guys to need to be "talked into" anything like that.

"That's the way it always was between us. He was too shy to kiss me until I kissed him first. He was too shy to hold me, until I held him first. I always had to make the first move. I thought it was so cute that he was so shy and nervous" explained Aelita. "But, I guess he wasn't so shy around Yumi" she added with a tear as she remembered why she was upset in the first place.

"Hey, hey don't start crying again! I'm really not the "caring type". I don't know how to deal with other people crying" Sissi Panicked.

"It's Ok. I'm too tired to cry anymore tonight. And, you did fine listening to me, Sissi. But, I think I can just go to bed now" Aelita clarified.

"Um… Okay, goodnight" said Sissi as she headed towards the door, but then she abruptly stopped and looked at Aelita.

Aelita looked rather confused.

"Um… if you want to, I guess you can hang out with me tomorrow" Sissi offered. "But, you better not cramp my style!!!" she then ordered, as she walked out the door.

Once Sissi left Aelita finally went to bed, she hadn't realized how tired she was until that point. Just before she dozed off, she thought about how different things were going to be for her now. She believed Jeremie and Yumi had betrayed her and starting tomorrow she was going to be friends with Sissi of all people. This was going to be like waking up in a whole new world for her.

"A new **scary** world" These were the thoughts of Miss Aelita Stones as she drifted off to sleep that night.

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The same time, in Ulrich's room, William had just settled into Odd's bed. Ulrich, having just settled into his own, turned toward his new friend and said "Hey thanks William, I guess I just needed someone to talk to after all that. I don't know what I was thinking telling Odd to stay someplace else".

"Hey it's alright", replied William as he adjusted to Odd's lumpy mattress, "I don't have a roommate and I never had any brothers so I don't get too many chances at 'late-night guy-talk'. This is a good change of pace".

"Well, Odd isn't usually up for 'late-night guy-talk'. He's usually crashed out and snoring like a saw-mill as soon as he gets in his bed" elaborated Ulrich.

"Anyway, Goodnight Buddy" said Ulrich as he turned off the light.

"Yeah, Goodnight Buddy" yawned William.

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Back at Samantha's house, Sam and her parents had all gone to bed, leaving Odd to the couch and TV. Not ready to sleep just yet, he searched their movie collection (they said he could watch whatever was in the DVD cabinet) until he found just the right movie: _Clerks._

And so, Odd ended his evening quite enjoyably, and went to sleep quietly giggling about the number "37".

If only **everyone** could have had such a relaxing night.

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Alone in his room, poor little Jeremie was **miserable**. He sat there, in the dark, staring at his computer, remembering happier times. He hated to admit it, but there were times when he missed the days when Aelita only existed within Lyoko.

Make no mistake, he was glad to free her from her digital prison. He was perfectly happy to help her recover her human identity. And, he longed to do anything more he can to help her.

But, late at night, he really missed the days when his love would appear right there on the computer screen, and they'd spend the whole night talking about whatever they felt like, while he worked to devirtualize her. Whether they discussed the differences between Lyoko and Earth, the behavior and relationships of their friends, or anything at all, he always felt like he finally had found a companion in life.

Still, there was nobody happier than Jeremie Belpois the day they freed Aelita from Lyoko. That must be made clear. To see the girl who meant so much to him, as a flesh and blood human being, was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld. And, that night, when they took a romantic walk and she gave him that first little kiss, was among his favourite memories.

That was why those nights she spent there were so wonderful to him, those nights where she stayed over to help him find a way into the internet. Truly, that was the best of both worlds. He was able to spend the whole night in the company of his beloved, just like old times. And yet she was really there, there to hold, there to touch, and there to help him with what they set out to do. And, when it was too late at night to continue working, they would snuggle-up together and sleep in a state of pure paradise.

His current situation, on the other hand, was the **worst** of both worlds. "_All this from some preposterous accident involving a bottle of __**prune juice,**__ of all things!", _he thought to himself, "_I can't wait until tomorrow so we can finally sort all this crap out. I'm going to bed_".

Just as he settled into bed, he was disturbed by the ring of his cell-phone. As he held it to his ear, the voice on the other end of the line said "Jeremie, are you still up? This is **Yumi**".

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Even as all this was going on Kai was observing them with his powers, and was quite entertained. "I think I'm done writing predictions for awhile" said Kai to himself with a smile, as he walked back towards his computer.

With everyone in bed now, there was only one way to pass the time. On his way to challenge Xana to another chess game, he glanced at his notebook and smiled once more.

Ulrich and William. Aelita and Sissi. Today was a good day for unlikely friendships, indeed!

…TO BE CONTINUED!

Wondering where Yumi was during this chapter? Well, you'll just have to wait for "Chapter 4: Yumi's Story"!


	4. Chapter 4: Yumi's Story part I

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko and I make no profit from this fan work. I'm just a geek, with a tad too much spare time, having a little fun. Like playing with action figures.

This chapter was kinda written to make up for Yumi being mostly absent from chapter 3. It's mainly about where Yumi was at that time, but Millie and Tamiya get plenty of spotlight explaining where they were in the first 2 chapters!

I don't know if you're going to like this one for being a nice big chapter (so big I had to split it into 2 parts, but please treat it as one chapter), or hate it for being mostly filler about Yumi's home life (and for being a little depraved). Either way, feel free to review. I used to not care about reviews, but I'm **addicted** now!

**Chapter 4: Yumi's Story (part I)**

It was earlier that same day.

In search of the next big news-story/scandal, Millie and Tamiya were combing through the hallways of their beloved school. As they looked for any news or gossip to report, two very dweeby and unwelcome fellow students appeared before them.

"Hey Tamiya, Millie, check **this** out!" announced Nicholas as he and Herb presented their paper fortune-teller to them.

"Get lost! We're on our way to find a story!" responded Millie as she ran past the two dopey boys dragging Tamiya along by the arm.

"Sorry" called Tamiya looking back at them as Millie led her away from them and hopefully towards some juicy information.

"Well I guess we can always go show Sissi" shrugged Herb.

Nicholas shrugged back and so they went to see their beloved bratty leader, with their "amazing" discovery.

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The two intrepid young reporters spent several hours searching for anything newsworthy. The search went in vain and soon they found themselves ready to just give-up.

"_Slow News Day_ I guess. Maybe we could write some kind of 'fluff-piece' about how peaceful life here at Kadic is?" suggested Tamiya.

"I'm not ready to resort to that just yet. There's got to be **something**. Some kind of event, or relationship scandal, or new bread-mold growing on the food, or anything" answered Millie.

"But we looked everywhere! There's just nothing to report. And frankly, a story about **bread-mold** doesn't sound any better than my idea" reasoned Tamiya.

Millie sighed in response, and Tamiya gently rubbed her partner's shoulder and calmly said "Come on. Let's go back and write a good fluff-piece".

"Yeah okay" Millie sadly mumbled as she started back towards the dorm-room trying to think of some decent filler for the latest _Kadic News_ issue. But, then suddenly she spotted two people wandering the halls.

"Where could they be? I can't wait to get the damned movie started" complained Ulrich.

"Let's just check Jeremie's room. That's the easiest place to look" answered Aelita.

Upon hearing this, the plucky news-hounding girl immediately perked-up!

"Come on Tamiya! Let's go!" called out Millie as she gestured in the direction Ulrich and Aelita were going.

"Is that wise? That group tends to give us the slip a lot" protested Tamiya.

"Well, it's worth a try. Besides, don't you like it when I'm impulsive?" asked Millie as she gave Tamiya a quick kiss on the cheek, and ran off.

"I…I guess so" said a blushing Tamiya as she followed her friend to Jeremie's room, and hopefully a juicy story.

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The two young girls made it to Jeremie's room mere seconds after Ulrich and Aelita did. Having no better ideas they put their ears to the door in order to listen in on what's happening. But, nothing could ever prepare them for what they heard!

_"Jeremie, How...how could you!" they heard Aelita cry._

_"It was an accident..." they heard Jeremie try to explain._

This certainly sparked their curiosity as they continued to listen.

_"What, so you '__accidentally__' started fooling around with Yumi? BULLSHIT!" Ulrich's furious voice interrupted. _

Millie and Tamiya both looked at each other with wide eyes. They certainly found their juicy story, alright!

_"How could you do this to her?" they heard Ulrich grill._

_"Ulrich, It's really not what you think..." the voice of Yumi started to explain._

_"And, How can YOU do this to ME!" they heard Ulrich snap at Yumi._

Millie and Tamiya smiled at each other. Pleased to find such an incredible subject.

_"Listen! I..." started Jeremie._

_"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!", they heard Ulrich shout before he said in a dark nasty voice, "Look! You two can do whatever the fuck you want. I'm leaving". _

They scrambled to the other side of the hall as soon as they heard that, and watched as Ulrich Stern stormed out of the room accompanied by a crying Aelita.

"Wow! I guess we have our story now" Millie excitedly announced. But upon noticing Tamiya's shocked expression had to ask "What's wrong?".

"I saw a glimpse of Jeremie's room when Ulrich and Aelita were going through the room. It looked like Yumi was **topless!**" Tamiya explained.

"As in 'not wearing anything above the waistline'?" asked Millie.

"You know any other definition for 'topless'?" replied Tamiya, eyes narrowing in sarcasm.

"Now this is a front page story! This might be the biggest story we've ever ran!" happily declared Millie.

"I say we get right to work" said Tamiya with a wink.

Millie blushed. She always thought it was so cute when Tamiya winked at her. "Yeah, I guess so" she responded with a smile (making Tamiya blush back) as the two pint-size paparazzi made their way back to their dorm-room to write about "The Scandal Of The Century" as they believed it to be.

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Unfortunately, they missed Odd's costumed journey through the halls (a shame, as it would have also been a great article for their paper) and so weren't there to hear Jeremie and Yumi explain the truth to their Rocky-Horror-loving friend.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll just be glad to not have Ulrich hate me. Anyway, I have to go home now. Remember, Odd, The woods tomorrow at around noon" said Yumi as she left Jeremie's room.

She took a few steps, then sighed. '_What a big __**mess**__ this all is_', she thought to herself, '_I'm going home_'.

She lackadaisically made her way to the door, feeling like she'd been hit by a truck. '_What a shitty day'_ she mumbled as she opened the door to an unexpected surprise.

"HEY SIS!" shouted Hiroki.

Yumi jumped back three feet! "**AAAH! Don't scare me like that!!**" she shouted at her impish younger sibling.

Hiroki simply laughed. "Ha ha! You are just too easy to scare! Say where's your _**'sweetheart'**_ Ulrich?" Hiroki asked as obnoxiously as possible.

Yumi sighed "Never mind! Anyway, just what the hell are you doing here?" asked Yumi. (This story takes place somewhere loosely between Seasons 2 and 3, vaguely. Hiroki doesn't go to Kadic yet.)

"Mom sent me here with a list of things she wants you to pick up at the store on the way home" Hiroki announced.

"Yeah Ok, well I'm heading home right now so just hand me the list" requested Yumi.

"Uh...well… I kinda lost it" Hiroki sheepishly admitted.

"What?! Well do you remember what was on it?" asked Yumi.

"Um...not everything" replied Hiroki.

"Un-friggin'-believable", muttered Yumi resting a hand on her increasingly aching head, "Well, do you remember where you were when you lost it?".

Hiroki suddenly regained his energy. "I sure do! I was in the woods on the way here" he answered.

Yumi groaned. "Ok, let's go find it" she muttered.

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And, so the two Ishiyama siblings searched for a good 24 minutes, until finally Yumi found the list hanging from a branch.

After climbing the tree and retrieving the list, Yumi and Hiroki were on their way to the store. Yumi was reading the list as they walked.

"Let's see, we need eggs, milk, rice, and a _pregnancy test?!?!_ **What the hell?!**" asked a very shocked Yumi.

"Yeah, Mom might be having another baby" Hiroki explained.

"_**What?!**_ Since when?!" asked an even more shocked Yumi.

"Her and Dad told me about it this morning. They told me to tell you" replied Hiroki.

"And, **this** is how I find out about it?! If they told you, why couldn't they tell me?!" asked Yumi.

"You weren't home. You never are anymore. You're always out with your friends, so they just told me and asked me to tell you" clarified Hiroki.

"Ugh. I can't believe this" Yumi mumbled. '_Hiroki's bad enough. Do I really need another pain-in-the-ass little brother or sister being a pest like this?_' she thought to herself. Then she looked at Hiroki and thought '_Well maybe our new bro or sis will be a pain in __**his**__ ass instead. It would be great to see Hiroki get some just deserts for a change_'. This thought caused Yumi to smirk.

"No need to worry about it yet. We don't even know if she's really pregnant or not. That's why she wants the test in the first place" reasoned Hiroki.

"You're right, I guess, but shouldn't she be buying this herself. I mean this is kinda sick sending **her kids** to buy this for her" replied Yumi.

"Oh just get it over with" suggested Hiroki.

"Yeah Ok" agreed Yumi as they entered the store.

After a few minutes, they had nearly all the items on the list. Only the dreaded pregnancy test remained.

"Ok, I guess I'll just try to make this quick, and make sure to let the pharmacist know it's **not** for me" Yumi deliberated.

"Good plan, I'm right behind you, Sis!" announced Hiroki with a "thumbs up".

Yumi marched toward the Pharmacy counter. Hiroki stayed in place and started snickering. Hiroki knew the pharmacist, Dave, was a self-righteous, pompous weirdo who never turned-down a chance to give someone else a lecture about their life. Hiroki also knew Dave wouldn't believe for a moment that a teenage girl buying a pregnancy test was buying it for her mother instead of herself.

Hiroki also knew damn-well his mother wasn't pregnant.

Yeah, this was a set-up.

Hiroki found a good place to stand with a view of the pharmacy. The afternoon's entertainment was about to begin.

Yumi took a deep breath. "Um…excuse me do you know where the pregnancy tests are?" she very quietly asked.

Dave, The pharmacist, looked at her with a confused expression.

"It's for my mother" Yumi explained.

"Oh, in simpler times, I would believe you!!", Dave loudly announced, "but, I know what you kids are like today, so reckless, so eager to pursue life's pleasures without taking any responsibility or precautions! What is the world coming to when a girl as young as you is here to buy a **pregnancy test?!**".

Yumi looked around. Everyone at the store was staring at her.

"I told you! It's NOT for me!" Yumi proclaimed.

"Yeah, suurrre it's not" Dave obnoxiously responded with a wink.

Yumi was seething. "Look! I had a very rough day! Do you have them or not?!" asked Yumi through gritted teeth.

"Uh, yeah they're right over there" replied Dave in an informal manner quite opposite from his earlier tirade.

Yumi stormed in the direction Dave pointed, feeling absolutely mortified.

Among the shoppers to witness the incident were two young boys, around the same age as Yumi and her friends.

"Say, do you know that girl?" asked the one boy.

"Nah, she probably goes to that fancy Kadic school up the street. My friend Millie goes there. I suppose I could ask her if you really wanna know" replied the other boy.

"Eh, might as well", the first boy responded, "Who knows? You might be missing out on some great gossip".

The other boy nodded his agreement and pulled a cell-phone out of his pocket as the two kept walking through the store.

Yumi silently and angrily made her way to the register to pay for her items.

On her way out, she heard two distinct voices coming from the direction of the pharmacy counter.

"Cold medicine?! For Children?! Such bad parenting to let your child go outside and catch a cold like that. Oh just what is the world coming to?!" she heard Dave rant.

"Dammit, Dave will you give it a rest!" another voice, most likely the manager, yelled in his direction, ceasing the lecture.

Yumi sighed and left the store, inwardly swearing never to return to that particular store again (as well as just plain inwardly swearing). Hiroki was waiting for her right outside the door.

"So, how'd it go, Sis?" asked Hiroki holding back his laughter. After all, he watched the whole thing.

"I…HAVE…NEVER BEEN SO HUMILIATED IN MY LIFE! I am **never** shopping there again! Everyone there probably thinks I'm knocked-up anyway" ranted Yumi.

Hiroki started laughing, almost uncontrollably; he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Gee, I'm glad you find that so amusing", remarked Yumi, sounding quite annoyed, "Well anyway, let's just get this back to Mom so she can find out if she's pregnant or not".

Hiroki kept laughing. "Don't worry! I know she's not" Hiroki explained between chuckles.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" asked a confused Yumi.

"This was all a prank! Well, OK, the shopping list was real, but I'm the one who wrote 'pregnancy test' on it" confessed Hiroki.

"What?! Why?!" asked a very distressed Yumi.

"Because I knew Dave was working at the pharmacy counter today, and I thought it'd be really funny if you bought something like that in front if him" clarified Hiroki.

"_Dave?!, _You **know** that guy?! Oh, was he in on this too?" interrogated Yumi.

"Nah, He just does that to **everybody**. Just last week, he saw me buy a Candy Bar and gave me a long endless sermon about proper nutrition and why I shouldn't eat junk food. Then, he went on a rant about **tooth-decay** until I finally just walked away from him" explained Hiroki.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD! **How dare you humiliate me like that?!! What is wrong with you?!**" Yumi shouted at Hiroki.

"Sorry Sis, but you gotta admit that was funny" defended Hiroki.

"Well, I don't think so! I'm going to go return this, right now!" announced Yumi as she opened the door to the store. She again heard two voices coming from the pharmacy counter.

"**Vitamin pills!** You know, if you ate right, you wouldn't **need** these!", she heard Dave preach, "Oh what is the world coming to when…".

"Shut up, Dave!", the manager intervened, "Just , Shut up! Let the guy buy his vitamin pills! If you do this to one more customer, **you're fired!**".

Yumi closed the door. "Um, on second thought, maybe not" she said wisely deciding to avoid all that commotion.

And, so she simply walked off in silence, Hiroki close behind, on their way home.

-----------------------------------------------

During the walk, Hiroki tried, desperately, to get Yumi to speak to him. But, to no avail. Yumi was still mad and fuming, and so she ignored him.

Finally, fed-up with the "silent treatment" he whined "Yumi, please say something to me!".

"THERE'S NOTHING TO SAY!" growled Yumi. "You made a horrible day even **worse!** You made a complete **moron** out of me, **and you probably fucked-up my reputation on top of all that!**" She continued.

"Don't worry about your reputation. Nobody takes Dave seriously. And, It's not like I've never pulled a prank on you before" reacted Hiroki.

"Well, that's just it! Why are you **always** doing horrible things to me?! Why can't you just leave me **alone?!**" demanded Yumi.

Hiroki's smile faded. In it's place was a sad look and a few stray tears.

"Because, **I'm** always alone. You NEVER want to spend any time with me or even with Mom and Dad, anymore. It's always you and your **friends**. It's like you have this whole _new_ family, and you don't care about your _old_ family anymore! Not that you ever did care about me!" Hiroki elaborated.

Yumi had gone from righteous anger to pure remorse after hearing that. "Hiroki…I…" Yumi tried to explain.

"And yet, all I wanna do is spend some time with my cool older sister and maybe her cool friends! When we first left Japan and moved here we didn't know **anybody!** But then you made new friends, and I didn't! Do you know what it feels like to _be left behind?_" continued Hiroki, tears streaming down his face.

"Hiroki…I…" Yumi again tried to explain.

"I mean, I notice what other families are like, the way that brothers and sisters fight. They fight all the time, but not like we do. They actually **care** about each other, and they're able to stop fighting and just spend some time as family together. But, that's never going to happen with us because YOU HATE ME! You always did" Hiroki cried out.

"HIROKI, I **DON'T** HATE YOU!" Yumi's words finally came out, along with an ocean of tears. "And, I'm sorry if it ever seemed that way" she continued.

Hiroki looked up at her, with a hopeful gaze. He looked ready to listen.

She realized that Hiroki was right on several points. Her friends had indeed become another family to her, not really a bad thing, but she was neglecting her real family. The truth was if her parents really were having another child, she probably _would_ hear about it second-hand rather than from her parents themselves.

She also realized, with much guilt, that her often cruel treatment of Hiroki, really did go beyond the acceptable bounds of the typical "sibling rivalry" that compelled brothers and sisters to bicker with each other, and realizing this she wondered why she never noticed this before.

She chose her words carefully. "Hiroki…I…I guess I'm just not very good at the whole 'big sister' thing. And, I'm not sure how to change that. The only thing I can promise is to be a little nicer to you, and to try to remember that you're a person with real feelings and not just some nuisance that I need to get rid of. But, you've got to cut out the pranks, deal?" Yumi confessed.

Hiroki stopped crying and started to smile again. "Deal" he said at last.

Yumi sighed. "And, I'll admit it. My friends have sort of become family to me, and they always will be. But, that doesn't mean I forgotten who my real family is. I'll **always** care about You, Mom and Dad, and I'm sorry if I don't show it enough. I promise I'll try to make some time for you and them as well. Is that OK?" Yumi explained.

Hiroki nodded and began to hug his sister. "I'm sorry, Yumi" he said.

Yumi returned the hug. "I'm sorry too, Hiroki" she responded. Then she broke the hug and said "Ok, now let's forget the whole prank thing happened and get these groceries home".

Hiroki nodded.

"Race you home, Little Bro!" called Yumi as she ran toward the house, carrying the grocery bag.

"You're on! Big Sis!" replied Hiroki.

And, so the reunited Ishiyama siblings raced their way home.

--------------------------------------------------

They returned home to find their parents relaxed in the living room. Their father was sitting at the chair reading a newspaper. Their mother was on the sofa watching television.

"Hey Mom, Dad, we're home" called Yumi as she opened the door.

"Welcome back. So how were things with your friends?" asked Yumi's mother.

"Um… not so good. I kinda had a rough day, actually" replied Yumi.

As Yumi said that, Hiroki remembered that she seemed upset when he first ran into her that day, and her mention of his "making a bad day worse", and started to feel a tad guilty about playing tricks on someone who was already troubled.

"Aww, that's sad. What's wrong?" asked Yumi's rather concerned mother.

"It's nothing. I don't really want to talk about it right now" answered Yumi.

"Ok, well let's get these groceries put away so I can start dinner" replied Yumi's mother with a smile as she took the grocery bag from Yumi and went to the kitchen.

"Ok Mom, let us know if you need any help" Yumi called back to her as Hiroki nodded.

About one second later, Hiroki and Yumi suddenly looked at each other in fear. They both had the exact same thought...

There was a pregnancy test at the bottom of that bag.

…TO BE CONTINUED!

**Chapter 5: Yumi's Story (Part II) **is already posted. Go ahead and read it!


	5. Chapter 5: Yumi's Story part II

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko and I make no profit from this fan work. I'm just a geek, with a tad too much spare time, having a little fun. Like playing with action figures.

(Continued from chapter 4. Make sure you read that. I added both 4 and 5 at the same time.)

**Chapter 5: Yumi's Story (part II)**

If Yumi's mother saw that test, she would just about have a heart attack. And, the rest of the night would consist of her parents interrogating her harshly about her possible sex life. It's not like telling the truth, that Hiroki tricked her into buying it as a practical joke, would help. Even if Hiroki admitted to the prank, nobody would believe him.

Because, frankly that's **ridiculous**. Seriously, it just doesn't make sense.

Thinking very quickly, the two siblings rushed into the kitchen before their mother took any groceries out of the bag.

"Hey Mom, I just remembered this great trick you gotta see!" announced Hiroki.

"Huh? Uh, not now, Hiroki. I need to put these groceries away" replied his mother.

"Oh don't worry, Mom. **I'll** put them away" said Yumi practically snatching the bag away from her mother.

"Um, all right Hiroki, show me your trick" responded a very confused mother.

Unable to think of anything better, Hiroki entertained his mother by turning his eyelids inside-out while Yumi hurriedly put away the groceries, careful to conceal the "deadly item" in her purse.

"Hiroki, that's **disgusting!**", Mrs. Ishiyama reacted, "Now, let me get back to…".

"All done" interrupted Yumi having finished putting the groceries away.

"Well anyway, like Yumi said, let us know if you need any help" offered Hiroki as he and Yumi left the kitchen.

"_Yeah, like I'm letting either of you in here again, with both of you acting so weird_" their mother mumbled to herself as she got a pan out of the cabinet.

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That night, dinner at the Ishiyama residence went peacefully, which was quite unusual considering how it usually goes manically. But, for some reason a certain brother and sister, who are normally at each other's throats, were actually getting along, quite nicely in fact. Both parents were quite baffled at seeing their children actually being nice to one another for a change, but decided not to "look a gift-horse in the mouth" as they say, and simply enjoyed the family harmony they had yearned so long for.

Over hot bowls of curry and rice, the family began to converse, "So, Yumi", the mother asked, "what happened with you and your friends?".

Yumi was startled by the question at first but then calmed down and answered "I kinda don't feel like talking about it".

"Oh, come on Yumi. We're your **family**. You can talk to us about **anything**" her mother persisted.

Hiroki nodded in agreement. Her father turned her attention toward her.

Yumi sighed. She remembered her promise to Hiroki to be more involved with the family. It was time to make good on that.

"It's like this. Ulrich and Aelita think that there's something going on between me and Jeremie, and there isn't, but they think there is, and they're acting all upset and jealous" explained Yumi.

"Ok, now isn't Jeremie the weird kid with the munchkin hair, the annoying one?" Yumi's father asked.

"No, I think Jeremie's the nerdy boy with the glasses" Yumi's mother corrected.

"Oh, that's right! Now I remember, and Aelita's his girlfriend with the pink hair, right?" Yumi's father realized.

"Yes, that's right" answered Yumi, rolling her eyes at her father's apparent inability to tell her friends apart.

Then she chalked it all up to her father being traumatized by the time she had all her friends over for a day and, for still unknown reasons, Odd decided to cling to Yumi's father the entire time. He followed him around **everywhere** asking him really asinine questions (like "Who'd win a fight between the Cream of Wheat guy and the Quaker Oats guy?"), singing annoying songs (like _The Song That Never Ends_ and _600 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall_), and looking over his shoulder whenever he tried to read or watch anything.

The others just left Odd to his own devices and hung out together while Odd tormented Yumi's father. The fun day ended when Mr. Ishiyama whispered in his daughter's ear "get your friends out of here, or I'm killing the weird one!", which prompted Yumi to ask everyone to call it a day and head home.

Yumi's father still has nightmares about Odd, by the way.

"So, why do they think you're cheating on Ulrich with Jeremie?" asked Yumi's mother, snapping Yumi out of her memories.

"Well, in my case, I doubt it would really be 'cheating' since Ulrich and I aren't technically together" clarified Yumi.

Yumi's parents and brother rolled their eyes at Yumi's denial. **They** considered Ulrich and Yumi a couple. Yumi's friends considered Ulrich and Yumi a couple. Friggin' **everyone** that knew them (except Sissi) considered the two a couple. And really, Ulrich and Yumi considered themselves a couple as well; they just refused to admit it.

Yumi sighed. She couldn't very well tell her parents what happened with her falling on Jeremie half-way through changing her shirt. "It's a long stupid story, and it's best not to get into it. The real problem is, now that they think we're cheating on them, they're completely freaking out about it!" Yumi explained.

"Well, did you try to explain it to them?" Yumi's mother asked.

"They just wouldn't listen. We're going to try again tomorrow" replied Yumi.

"Well, I'm sure once you explain everything to them, they'll understand. Your friends seem like pretty reasonable kids" Yumi's mother reassured.

"Except that weird one. What's his name, again?" asked Yumi's Dad.

"Odd" replied Yumi.

"He sure is! But, what's his name?" again asked Yumi's father.

Yumi started to snicker. "His name is Odd, Odd Della Robia" Yumi explained.

"Good name" remarked her father as shuddered at the memory of what Odd put him through.

"So, you'll have things sorted out with Ulrich tomorrow, right?" asked Hiroki in a very worried tone.

"Hopefully. I think he just needs to cool-off for a day. Jeremie and I are going to explain everything to him and Aelita tomorrow, and everything should be fine" Yumi explained.

Hiroki looked relieved. It was no secret that he idolized Ulrich. And, he certainly didn't want to see Ulrich's relationship with Yumi disband as it would separate him from his hero. Hiroki's hero-worship of Ulrich is often joked about by both the Ishiyama family and Yumi's circle of friends.

And so, the conversation continued, switching topics away from Yumi to many other things. Yumi enjoyed a peaceful meal at home with her family. It was the first enjoyable part of her entire day.

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Later that night, Yumi was in her room getting ready for bed, when she heard a knock on the door.

"Hey Sis, it's me. Can I come in?" asked Hiroki.

"Um…Ok I guess" answered Yumi.

Hiroki entered the room.

"So, what do you need?" asked Yumi.

"Well, you never told us just why they think you're cheating on Ulrich with Jeremie" Hiroki explained.

"Is it any of your business?" asked Yumi as polite as she could.

"I guess not. But, if something's bothering you and you don't want to talk to Mom and Dad about it, I'm here too" offered Hiroki.

Yumi sighed. Her brother (who she had just started to get along with) was reaching out to her.

Yumi tried to stall "It's kind of private…".

"It's a _sex thing_, isn't it?" interrupted Hiroki.

"Yes, sort of" answered Yumi, hoping to **never** hear her little brother mention sex ever again.

"So, why do they think you had sex with Jeremie?" innocently asked Hiroki.

Yumi decided to get the explanation over with. "Jeremie was drinking prune juice because he has a low potassium level, or something. Anyway, he accidentally spilled it all over my shirt. We were in a hurry so we went to his room so he could lend me a shirt. He had his back turned while I changed, but then his leg muscles jammed up and he fell over in pain. I ran to see what was wrong and tripped on some stupid wire and landed on top of him" Yumi recalled.

"So?" inquired Hiroki.

"So, I hadn't put on the other shirt yet, and we landed on his bed. And, that's when Ulrich and Aelita came in and saw us like that" continued Yumi.

Hiroki's eyes grew big with shock.

"Yeah" nodded Yumi. "So, basically Ulrich and Aelita saw me lying on top of Jeremie, without a top on, and thought well…you know" clarified Yumi.

Hiroki tried hard not to giggle, but it came out anyway.

"Oh, and what is so funny about this?!" asked Yumi in an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry. It's just how unlikely it all seems. All the accidents leading up to it, it's kinda funny" apologized Hiroki between giggling.

Yumi crossed her arms, and gave Hiroki an angry look.

"But, wait. I think this is a good thing. If I think it's funny, maybe Ulrich and Aelita will think so too. You explain what happened, you all share a good laugh, and things go back to normal between all of you" expressed Hiroki.

"Actually, you might be right. As dumb as that sounded, that was actually reassuring" replied Yumi, somewhat surprised.

Hiroki grinned. "Anytime Sis. By the way, you ought a let Jeremie know that black molasses has more potassium than prune juice" informed Hiroki.

"How would you know that?" asked Yumi.

"Someone in my class has the same problem. Anyway, let me know how everything goes. Good night" replied Hiroki as he left Yumi's room.

Yumi was surprised. '_Who knew that Hiroki knows things?_' she asked herself.

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Yumi crawled into her bed feeling quite refreshed. Spending some time with her parents and brother had put things into perspective for her, and made her feel much better. But, she remembered that her friends didn't have such easy access to their families. And, realized Jeremie, in particular, would probably be quite lonely at the time.

She picked up her cell-phone, and called Jeremie. "Jeremie, are you still up? This is **Yumi**" she said.

"Yeah, I'm still up, I suppose. What's the matter?" answered Jeremie.

"Well, I kind of just wanted to check on you" Yumi explained.

"That's kind of what Odd's been doing" informed Jeremie.

"Odd? Wouldn't Ulrich complain?" asked Yumi.

"Well, he's not staying in his and Ulrich's room. I guess that Ulrich needed to be alone tonight. So he's staying at Sam's" clarified Jeremie.

"Ok, I see. So, are you alright?" asked Yumi.

"Yeah, I'm alright. What about you?" Jeremie responded.

"**A lot better**! It helped to talk to my parents and brother for a bit" replied Yumi.

"Yumi, are you sure you're alright?" asked Jeremie upon noticing her saying she enjoyed talking to her brother.

"Yeah, I know that sounded weird. But, I kind of had a talk with Hiroki, and I think we'll be getting along much better now" explained Yumi.

"That's great. It always bothered us all to see you treat him like crap. He's a nice kid" said Jeremie.

"Geez, I didn't realize I was such a monster" Yumi reacted.

"Uh, sorry. But, I'm glad you've finally cast your sibling rivalry aside. Good for you" Jeremie explicated.

"Yeah, it feels weird though. So, what have **you** been doing since I left?" inquired Yumi.

Jeremie sighed. "Just dreaming about happier times, I guess" he answered.

"**Shame on you!** You wish Aelita was still on Lyoko, don't you?" Yumi teased.

Jeremie blushed. "Well, it was nice getting to talk to her every night. I don't know. I just want things back to normal, I guess" he elaborated.

"Back to you two having all kinds of fun in your room at night, right?" insinuated Yumi in a teasing manner.

Jeremie blushed even deeper. "Well, we haven't really been doing that" he explained.

"And, the bra under your bed?" jabbed Yumi.

"Well, we haven't done _that_, per sé. But, we've um…gotten 'close' to it a few times" clarified Jeremie.

"Gotten 'close', huh? You mean like…'orally' close?" asked Yumi having way too much fun at Jeremie's expense.

"Maybe, once or twice if you must know. What's with you tonight? Your mind is in the gutter! I'd expect this from Odd, but not you!" replied Jeremie, slightly annoyed.

Yumi laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry Jeremie. I just think it's really funny. I mean, you and Aelita were always the most straight-laced people in our group, but now you've been fooling around like this, and I think it's really funny. I mean, after what you just admitted to, I think everyone that knows you two would think so" explained Yumi.

"You're embarrassing me" Jeremie complained.

"I'm sorry. I'll stop" apologized Yumi.

"It's Ok" accepted Jeremie. He thought back to the time that evil clone of Yumi was acting seductive towards him. And, how when he mentioned it, the real Yumi thought it would be funny to start flirting with him (until Ulrich started to protest). '_I guess she always had that teasing-side to her_' thought Jeremie to himself.

"Let's just change the subject. So, what brought on the '_sibling harmony_' at the Ishiyama house?" he asked.

"We were just kind of arguing about the way we've been acting towards each other, until now" Yumi corrected.

"What started it?" asked Jeremie.

"Hiroki played a prank on me. He tricked me into buying a pregnancy test by telling me it was for Mom?" Yumi explained.

"And, you fell for that?" asked Jeremie, slightly confused.

"I was still pretty stressed out about what happened today" Yumi admitted.

"I understand" said Jeremie.

"Well, anyway that just kind of sparked this whole big squabble, and eventually some things just came out that we've been holding back for awhile" Yumi explained.

"Sounds like you've had quite a day" commented Jeremie.

"You can say that again. So, are you sure you'll be okay?" asked Yumi in a concerned voice.

"Yes, yes I'll be fine!" Jeremie maintained. "But, thank you" he added in a gentler voice, the voice he usually saved for Aelita.

"Ok, then bye" bid Yumi as she hung up the phone. Then, looking at the clock she exclaimed "Dammit! I better get some sleep!" and promptly went to bed. She dreamt pleasant dreams about spending time with her friends **and** family.

Jeremie too, went to sleep shortly after the conversation. He was feeling much better, and had an easier time getting to sleep that time.

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Meanwhile in Sissi's room, the principal's spoiled daughter was having a little trouble getting to sleep.

'_Ew! I can't believe she's been doing __**that**__ with him! I don't want to picture those two doing __**anything**__ like that. But, I can't get the image out of my head!_' Sissi thought to herself.

She thought ignoring the fact that Aelita had told her about that, and instead bringing up the considerably more innocent act of merely sharing a bed, would prevent the mental image from creeping up on her at night. But, it simply didn't work out that way.

So, despite what Yumi believes, apparently not quite "_everyone_" who knows them would find it funny.

'_Maybe if I just picture myself doing the same thing with Ulrich, it'll help. Ah, much better'_ thought Sissi. And, she finally fell asleep with a lecherous smile on her face.

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The only person at Kadic boarding school still awake at that time was Millie. She was still typing away at her article trying to find some way to stretch the few scraps of information about their "big scoop". She looked over at Tamiya who had long since gone to bed, and smiled at her sleeping friend.

"I guess I should get to bed too" she yawned.

She was had just crawled into her bed, when she looked at the bed next to her, and saw that Tamiya was shivering.

"Tamiya, are you okay?" whispered Millie.

"Millie, I'm cold. Do you think you could warm me up?" replied Tamiya.

"Ok" said Millie with a smile as she left her own bed and settled in next to her best friend.

Tamiya held close to Millie, and soon felt much warmer and more comfortable. And, so the two girls drifted off to sleep knowing they had a big day of snooping ahead of them tomorrow.

…TO BE CONTINUED!

**Next Chapter:** the focus returns to the main story (and the conversations get less long and monotonous), as we finally enter DAY 2 of our story (can you believe this all took place in one day?). Yumi and Jeremie try to explain what happened, but will it work out? Or, will things get worse before they get better? Find out in _Chapter 6: Falling Cards _whenever the hell I find the time to write it!


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